Treatments and drugs

If your gas pains are caused by another health problem, treating the underlying condition may offer relief. Otherwise, bothersome gas is generally treated with dietary measures, lifestyle modifications or over-the-counter medications. Although the solution isn't the same for everyone, with a little trial and error, most people are able to find some relief.

Diet

The following dietary changes may help reduce the amount of gas your body produces or help gas move more quickly through your system:

Try cutting back on fried and fatty foods. Often, bloating results from eating fatty foods. Fat delays stomach emptying and can increase the sensation of fullness.

Temporarily cut back on high-fiber foods. Add them back gradually over several weeks. For most people, it takes about three weeks for your body to get used to extra fiber. But, some people never adapt.

Go easy on fiber supplements. Try cutting back on the amount you take and build up your intake gradually. If your symptoms remain, you might try a different type of fiber supplement. Be sure to take fiber supplements with a glass of water and drink plenty of liquids throughout the day.

Reduce your use of dairy products. Try using low-lactose dairy foods, such as yogurt, instead of milk. Or try using products that help digest lactose, such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease.

Consuming small amounts of milk products at one time or consuming them with other foods also may make them easier to digest. In some cases, however, you may need to eliminate dairy foods completely.

Over-the-counter remedies

Some products may help, but they aren't always effective. Consider trying:

Beano. Add Beano to beans and vegetables to help reduce the amount of gas they produce. For Beano to be effective, you need to take it with your first bite of food. It works best when there's only a little gas in your intestines.

Lactase supplements. Supplements of the enzyme lactase (Lactaid, Dairy-Ease), which helps you digest lactose, may help if you are lactose intolerant. You might also try dairy products that are lactose-free or have reduced lactose.

Simethicone. Over-the-counter products that contain simethicone (Gas-X, Gelusil, Mylanta, Mylicon) help break up the bubbles in gas. Although these products are widely used, they haven't been proved effective for gas and gas pain.

Activated charcoal. Charcoal tablets (CharcoCaps, Charcoal Plus, others) taken before and after a meal also may help. Like simethicone, there's no definitive evidence that charcoal relieves gas. In addition, charcoal may stain the inside of your mouth and your clothing if the tablets get on your clothes.

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